The Bet
by keebler-elf10
Summary: Inuyasha is the most popular kid in school. He’s a jock football player and has all the girls falling for him. But there’s one who resists…and it’s his dumb friends who think it’ll be funny for Inuyasha to mess with her head. But will he do it? Or will Mi
1. A New Girl

Disclaimer: …after having a screaming fight with my brother yesterday, he said something very hurtful that made me cry… "YOU D

**The Bet**

**Summary: **Inuyasha is the most popular kid in school. He's a jock football player and has all the girls falling for him. But there's one who resists…and it's his dumb butt friends who think it'll be funny for Inuyasha to mess with her head. But will he do it? Or will Miroku beat him for considering something so stupid? Inu/Kag pairings of course, and some Mir/San. Please R&R!

**Disclaimer:** …after having a screaming fight with my brother yesterday, he said something very hurtful that made me cry… "YOU DON'T OWN INUYASHA!" ,( How could someone be so cruel? Especially my own flesh and blood?

**The Bet**

Chapter 1:

A New Girl

Inuyasha made his way through the crowded hall of his high school. It was rather easy for him to reach his locker through the hoard of students because they parted for him like Moses and the Red Sea. Of course, Inuyasha wasn't a messenger from God sent to the Pharaoh to let the Israelites go. He was just fabulously cute and a star football player.

All girls adored him. He had beautiful and well-groomed short black hair. And his bangs feathered handsomely over his stunningly gorgeous golden eyes. He also had that amazing boyish grin that melted hearts everywhere and when he winked at a girl, she fainted. He did that mostly for his own amusement. He thought it was funny that girls adored him and would do anything he asked.

Inuyasha was also unbelievably rich. His dad was a politician and his mother a retired runway model. Now they mainly traveled the country, trying to win a vote and Inuyasha barely saw them. He lived in a huge mansion with his half-brother Sesshomaru, who was almost never home, seeing as how he was now attending college.

Yes, life was great for Inuyasha. He reached his locker and banged on it three times before it sprung open. He threw a book in then grabbed another and slammed the locker shut. Behind him he heard a group of girls giggling and he turned and gave them his signature smile. They all but melted before him. Inuyasha made his way to his next class, science, his worst subject with the only teacher that hated him. He opened the door right as the tardy bell rang and sat in his usual seat at a table in the back.

Professor Mushibi was writing some equations on the board before he stopped and turned to Inuyasha. A mischievous smile crept across his face.

"Fashionably late again I see, Mr. Tanoshi." He opened a notebook on his desk and smiled again. "I do believe this is your fifth tardy, and do you know what that means?" Inuyasha didn't answer, he just blew a bubble with his gum unfeelingly and then popped it. "It means you will have detention with me tomorrow afternoon. But seeing how you have your precious football practice after school, you will serve your time in the morning at eight o'clock sharp. Do not be late." Professor Mushibi turned back to the black board and continued writing equations.

Inuyasha couldn't care less that he had detention. He had served time before with Mushibi. His wacked out teacher always decided to 'punish' him by making him do chemical equations and other science stuff. But although Inuyasha pretended to be rather ignorant when it came to school, he was pretty good with science. Yes, he was making his worst grade in this class, but that was because when Mushibi graded his tests, he marked off for the stupidest things or accused him of cheating. But when it came to those 'horrid' little worksheets he was forced to do during detention, Inuyasha had nothing to worry about.

He began to doze off like always when Mushibi slammed his hands on his own desk. That made Inuyasha and the rest of the class jump in their seats. Mushibi grinned slyly.

"Many of you may have noticed there is a new student in our class today," he said pointing a hand at a girl sitting by herself at the very first table. "This is Higurashi Kagome, and she has come to us from the most prestigious private academy in Japan. Maybe some of you," he glared at Inuyasha, "will learn a little something from her example." Inuyasha looked at the girl in the front and saw she was blushing.

"Now," Professor Mushibi continued, "today we will be dissecting frogs." Many of the class groaned in disgust. "I will be pairing you off. Hmm…" he glared around the room. "Yuri and Muso, Ayumi and Sari, Miroku and Sango," he continued on for a while until everyone was paired off except Inuyasha. Mushibi smiled. "And finally, Kagome and Inuyasha."

Inuyasha inwardly groaned. He'd much rather be paired with his best friend Miroku. He looked to his friend. 'I guess he doesn't mind the pairing.' Miroku had already taken a seat at the lab table next to Sango and was leaning close to her, trying to seduce her obviously. But Inuyasha knew Sango was the only girl who would not allow this behavior from Miroku. He looked away for a second before he heard a loud SMACK and turned back to see Sango fuming and Miroku smiling with a very red handprint on his face. Then he looked to the front of the class. The new girl was sheepishly making her way to Inuyasha's table. He gave her a small smile, but to his dismay, she did not seem to notice it. Well, she saw him smile, but she didn't melt or faint like all the other girls.

She then sat next to him and sat a notebook down in front of her, flipping to a page labeled "Science Notes". People actually took notes? Inuyasha watched her closely. Normally, the girl would be smiling and giggling uncontrollably and telling him how much they loved him. Some may have even asked for an autograph to prove they were science partners. But not this girl.

He looked at her closely. She was actually pretty cute. She wore the usual school uniform with the white shirt, green skirt, and brown loafers. Her hair was long, black, and slightly wavy, resting against her back, and her eyes, he saw, were a deep brown. She had an innocent looking face and looked as if she had never gotten angry a day in her life. But why wasn't she already falling for him?

Kagome sat next to 'Inuyasha' and opened her notebook so she could take notes on the dissection. That's when she noticed a pair of eyes glued to her. She looked up and saw her partner's golden eyes looking at her in a rather confused expression. She smiled politely at him.

"Hello," she said softly.

"Hey," he then took his eyes off her, glancing back every once in awhile. "Ever dissect a frog before?"

"Actually no, but I have dissected a few other animals." She began jotting a few things in her notebook. Professor Mushibi walked around the room placing a dead frog on a tray at each table. He reached Kagome's table and placed their frog in front of them.

"Mr. Inuyasha, I hope Ms. Higurashi has a positive influence on you." He then went back to his desk at the front of the room. "First, you will notice I placed instruments on each of your trays. One person will do the dissecting while the other takes the necessary notes. You may switch jobs if you like. Now, I want everyone to decide who will dissect."

Inuyasha looked at Kagome with a raised eyebrow.

"Actually," she said, "you can do it." She made a funny face at the upside down frog in front of them. "My brother and I used to have a pet frog." She then looked up at Inuyasha. "I don't think I can do it."

"Fine," he grabbed a knife in his hand.

"Now," Mushibi continued. "I want the dissector to slice the frog from the neck, down to the start of the legs. Once the frog is open, I want you to take out certain parts and label them on a piece of paper. I will be grading that. Once you have finished that project, you may explore the frog more until class is over. Now, begin." Mushibi then sat at his desk and began grading papers, mercilessly covering the papers in red ink.

Inuyasha began picking through the tools, deciding his weapon of choice. Kagome continued to stare at the frog almost longingly.

"He sort of looks like a Jacepi, doesn't he?" she said still staring at the lifeless frog.

Inuyasha gave her a questioning look. "What?"

Kagome looked him in the eye. "He looks like a Jacepi."

"A Jacepi?"

She nodded.

"Oooo…kay…" he whistled and picked up the sharpest knife then pointed his tip on the frog's throat. Kagome placed a hand on Inuyasha's who sharply looked down at her.

"Don't you think we should have a moment of silence? Maybe say a few words?"

Inuyasha's mouth dropped. "Are you serious?"

"Yes…"

"It's just a frog!"

Kagome's eyes grew big. "A frog named Jacepi!"

"It's still just a frog! Besides, you named it that!"

"Maybe, but what if he had a family?"

"Who cares?"

"He might have had children!"

"They'll live!"

"How could you be so cruel?"

"How could you be so heart-broken over a stupid dead frog?!"

"He's not a stupid frog!"

"Yes he is! He's a stupid dead frog named Jacoce!"

"His name is Jacepi! And he's not stupid!"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. He was getting no where and he needed to get a good grade on this project.

"Fine, we'll say a few words." He waited for Kagome to speak, but nothing.

Silence.

More silence.

Inuyasha glared at her. "Aren't you going to say something?!"

"I thought it would be more meaningful if you said a few words."

"What?!"

"After all, you just insulted him." She looked up at him with a serious expression. "If you don't say a few kind words Jacepi may haunt you. The dead don't like to be mocked you know."

He rolled his eyes again. "You're one crazy girl." He sighed and lowered his voice so no one would know he was paying his respect to a dead frog named Jacepi.

"Jacepi was a good frog," he looked at Kagome who had bowed her head. "He was a…wise frog…and although his life was short…he accomplished many things unknown to me now. He raised good children and taught them well. He will always be in our memory. The end, or whatever."

Kagome smiled and opened her eyes. "That was very nice."

"Yea, whatever, can we slice him now?"

"Fine, do what you want." Kagome scowled as she ripped out a piece of paper from her notebook for the frog parts.

Inuyasha proceeded to place organs and parts on the paper while Kagome labeled them and took several notes in her notebook. She actually looked sick when he pulled out Jacepi's heart. She covered her mouth and closed her eyes when she saw it.

"You okay?" Inuyasha asked still holding the heart.

"Yea, fine, just feeling a little queasy."

They finished pulling out the necessary parts and Inuyasha, being bored out of his mind, began scarping around the inside of Jacepi's stomach.

"Stop that!" Kagome yelled quietly.

Inuyasha looked up at her. "Why? Mushibi said to continue 'exploring'."

"But now you're just desecrating Jacepi's poor, defenseless body!"

Inuyasha smiled at her and leaned in closer. "You're cute when you get angry about little frogs named Jacepi." Wow, he really was bored.

Kagome scowled. "How dare you! You're little smile and boyish face may make girls at this school melt, but I'm different. You have no affect on me whatsoever!"

Inuyasha blanched. She didn't melt into a puddle of giggling mass. Was he losing his touch? He quickly smiled at a girl at another table who began to giggle like an idiot and wave. No, he still had it. This girl was different. She was probably the only girl who could resist him, and he didn't like that.

"Ok, sorry, I was just having some fun."

She glared at him and turned away. Soon, Mushibi came by the table to grade their work. He checked every last detail then looked at Inuyasha with a scowl.

"It looks like poor Ms. Higurashi was forced to do all the work. Kagome, you pass," he smiled at the girl and she nodded with satisfaction. "Mr. Tanoshi, you fail." Inuyasha's jaw dropped.

"No, Professor, I did half the work! Kagome, tell him." But Kagome kept her mouth shut. What help she was…

Mushibi made a disappointed clicking noise with his tongue. "Maybe next time you'll learn not to use your lab partner."

Inuyasha sat, dumbfounded and disappointed when the bell rang and Kagome stood beside him and began packing her bag. He grabbed her arm before she could leave. She turned around to him.

"Why didn't you tell him I helped?!" he whispered fiercely.

"Because I don't defend insensitive jerks!" she pulled her hand away from him and walked to the door, where Sango was waiting for her. Together they left and Miroku showed up by his side.

"Come on, buddy, it's lunchtime and I'm starving."

Once they were outside of their science class, Sango grabbed Kagome's arm and pulled her close.

"Why didn't you stick up for Inuyasha?"

"Because he was a jerk to Jacepi."

"Who?"

Kagome shrugged Sango's hand off. "Nothing, it's a long story."

Together they walked through the halls and towards their lockers. Sango had become Kagome's friend during the first period of the day. She sat beside Kagome in math and they hit it off immediately. Sango was already like a best friend to Kagome.

They fought their way through the crowd until finally making it to their lockers which were right next to each other. Sango's locker was decorated with pictures of famous kick boxers and Karate fighters. It was obvious Sango was into the whole martial arts thing. Kagome opened her locker which was empty except for all of her books. She threw her science book in and grabbed a history book and her bagged lunch. Sango grabbed her lunch and together they walked to the cafeteria.

The cafeteria was almost as crowded as the hall, except everyone was sitting at tables. Sango found an empty table across from a table full of jocks. They sat opposite each other so Kagome had to look at the jock table.

Kagome placed all of her lunch items on the table and popped open her drink. She then poured some homemade dressing onto her salad and began eating it happily. A moment later two other girls sat beside Sango and Kagome. They were Ayumi and Eri, Kagome's other new friends. She liked Sango more because the only thing these two seemed to do was gossip and talk about guys. They began chattering away while Kagome consumed herself in her salad.

Inuyasha sat at the jock table glaring at the new girl at the next table. He really didn't like her. He was perfectly fine with her, until she refused to tell Mushibi he had helped with the dissection. He was suddenly snapped out of his thought when a girl flung herself onto his arm. He looked to see who is was…Kikyou.

He didn't really care for her, but since she was the star cheerleader and he was the star football player, it was thought that they were meant for each other. But he hated how slutty she dressed and how she showed him so much affection when he knew it was just for her reputation.

"Hey there Inuyasha," she whispered into his ear.

"Hey," he said dully. He continued eating his food. There was no way to peal her off his body…he'd already tried that before.

Miroku, Kouga, Muso, Jakotsu, and Hiten were talking about game plays for the Friday night game. Miroku then broke away from the conversation and started talking to Inuyasha about the previous science class. Suddenly, the others began laughing hysterically.

"What's so funny?" Inuyasha asked suspiciously.

Hiten gasped for air. "We have a little bet for you Inuyasha."

"Yea," said Muso. "You interested?"

Inuyasha cocked his head to the side. "What is it?"

"Make a girl fall for you."

Inuyasha smiled. "That's too easy. Every girl here adores me."

"Except one," Jakotsu sneered.

Inuyasha's eyes immediately settled on Kagome who was picking at her salad while her new friends chatted energetically.

"You have to make the new girl fall for you, head over heels, and then once she is so in love with you, you have to dump her." Muso began laughing again.

Miroku's eyes grew big and annoyed. Inuyasha merely watched Kagome. Maybe he could actually do it. After all, his reputation was at stake here.

Miroku stared at his friend angrily. "Inuyasha?"

He snapped out of his trance. "Yea?"

"I need to buy a drink," Miroku said through gritted teeth. "Won't you accompany me?"

Inuyasha eyed him for a moment then decided to follow his friend. They walked to the coke machine, Miroku not saying a word until they reached it. He forcefully jammed his coins into the machine and pounded on the button before turning to Inuyasha.

"Are you seriously considering it?" he snapped.

"Yea, why?"

"That girl is new here, and you're already thinking about crushing her?!"

"I don't want to, but I have to."

"Why?"

"You know I can't back down from a bet, not with those guys!" he pointed at the table for emphasis.

"Who cares about them? They're a bunch of morons!"

"Look, getting close to her won't hurt, and maybe I'll just let her down easy in the end. I won't hurt her…purposely."

"Fine, do what you wish, but don't come crying to me when she's sent Sango after your ass! I want no part of this! Do you know what Sango will do to me if she finds out I was involved?!" A panicked expression came to his face. "It'll hurt a hell of a lot more than those little lovable taps she gives, I'll tell you that!" Miroku's face was getting red and his eyes grew wide with worry. "I don't want that, Inuyasha! I want to live past my high school years!"

"Alright, I get it. You're not involved in this whatsoever. Come on, we got to go back to the table."

"Fine." Miroku grabbed his soda and followed Inuyasha to the table.

Muso, Jakotsu, Kouga, and Hiten leaned in close to Inuyasha. "So what do you say?" Kouga asked.

Inuyasha began eating his food nonchalantly. "Fine…I'll do it…"

The boys all sneered and snickered. "Perfect!" said Hiten.

"When will you start your master plan?" asked Muso.

"When I figure up a master plan." Inuyasha continued eating his lunch.

Kagome sat at the lunch table. She was just about to finish her salad when she suddenly sneezed. She looked at the jock table and saw all the boys leaning in close to one another. She couldn't help but think someone was talking about her.

AN: That's it for now. Did you like it? Did you hate it? Please review. In the next chapter…Inuyasha's scheme begins…See you later!


	2. The Charming Begins

Disclaimer: Still crying because my meanie of a brother made me realize I do not own Inuyasha… maybe in my dreams…

**The Bet**

**Disclaimer: **Still crying because my meanie of a brother made me realize I do not own Inuyasha… maybe in my dreams…

**AN: **GAH!! I couldn't update last night like I wanted! I kept getting errors and man it was frustrating! Oh well, got it done now…

Oh yeah so to clarify… I started this story, along with another Inuyasha fic, over a year ago and posted it to an Inuyasha site. I didn't post them here because at that time, to post you had to have a paid account (or maybe you didn't and I was too illiterate to figure it out .). But, I started them, got a few chapters in, got writer's block (which I seem to get a lot), and stopped updating them. Well, to make a long story short, I opened up and browsed around and happily found (and squealed a little too) that I could post a story! So I decided to try this one, and got a review referring to it being on another site. I'm not stealing, this is my writing. I'm the same person, I swear. I just went on hiatus for a _very_ long time! If you know of the site it's on, you can just send a review to my author name there to get confirmation. Don't think anyone will actually care enough to do that, but it's just to validate.

Anywho, getting that out of the way, here's the next chapter. So please enjoy, hope you like it, and review if you please. Now I must figure out a way to get a certain talkative kitten out of my room so I can sleep…it'll be a long night…

**Chapter 2**

The Charming Begins

Kagome twirled her black hair between her index and middle finger. It was the last period of her first day at school, and she was bored out of her mind. The only person she recognized in this class was a boy that sat in front of her with black hair in a small ponytail and blue eyes. He looked like the guy Sango was paired with in science. Often times, he'd turn and wink at her, but she'd roll her eyes and watch the world pass by outside the window.

She didn't like what she saw outside the window. Dark clouds had filled the skies and she knew she would probably be walking home in the rain. But Kagome didn't care, she felt rather proud of herself.

FLASHBACK

The lunch bell had rung and Kagome had told Sango she would see her later. She had to do something before going to their next class.

Kagome headed back to Professor Mushibi's class room and found him writing a whole new set of equations on the board. When he heard someone else was in the room, he turned around and smiled at Kagome.

"Ah, Ms. Higurashi, what can I do for you?"

"Actually, Professor, I just wanted to tell you that Inuyasha doesn't deserve a failing grade for the frog project. He did half the work."

Mushibi smiled and put a hand on Kagome's shoulder. She looked at it with slight disgust. "Dear Ms. Higurashi, I know Mr. Tanoshi has a weird affect on the girls here, but you do not need to try to protect him. Mr. Tanoshi uses smart girls like you to benefit his grade. Now, if you leave now, I will forget this ever happened and your grade will not have to suffer for it."

Kagome was stunned. "You think I'm just another one of Inuyasha's pawns?" He simply nodded. "Look, I may be new here, but I have already seen how smart girls turn in to total idiots around him just because he's good looking and rich. But I'm different! I was raised to be independent and to not give in to a boy just because he has a nice smile. I was also raised to do what's right, and what is right now is for me to tell you that Inuyasha really did do half the work. He did the dissecting, I took the notes. I am _not_ one of Inuyasha's pawns!"

Professor Mushibi looked her in the eye then sighed. "I know you are different than the other girls here, Kagome." He sat in his chair and rested his elbows on his desk. "You actually have common sense. These girls have been under Inuyasha's control since they were in the sixth grade. I like to believe I can take your word. The Shikon Academy wouldn't just take anyone, I guess." He sighed again. "Inuyasha gets the same grade as you. I'll tell him tomorrow during his detention."

Kagome smiled. "Thank you, Professor. You did the right thing." She began to leave and stopped at the door when she heard his voice.

"Don't forget there will be a quiz on Friday, Ms. Higurashi. Maybe you could even help Mr. Tanoshi."

END FLASHBACK

She smiled to herself. She may have not liked Inuyasha, but she had done the right thing. She was broken out of her thoughts when she noticed someone was staring at her. Kagome looked up to see the boy in front of her staring.

"Hi," he finally said with a smile on his face.

"Um…hi…"

"My name's Miroku."

"Kagome."

"Nice to meet you." Then suddenly he turned back in his seat to face the front. All he wanted was to say hi?

Finally the bell rang and Kagome grabbed her books and darted to her locker where she saw Sango. Sango had just grabbed a book and closed her locker.

"Hey Kagome, how was history?"

"Boring as always." She opened her locker and threw the hefty book inside.

"Well, here's my phone number." Sango handed Kagome a piece of paper. "You can call me if you have any questions or just want to talk. Usually I walk home, but today I have a doctor's appointment, so my dad is picking me up. I'll see you later!" she called as she disappeared into the mass of students. Kagome wouldn't have anyone to walk home with.

She stepped out onto the school's front steps and stopped. It was pouring. 'Great', she thought. 'I didn't bring an umbrella or anything.' She sighed and began her journey along the sidewalk in the pouring rain. A few steps later and Kagome was soaked from head to toe. She was cold, wet, and miserable.

She had just made it to the edge of the road when a black Dodge Viper stopped beside her. The window rolled down and a familiar voice followed.

"Looks like someone could use a dry towel."

Kagome looked over at the car and saw Inuyasha smiling at her.

"What do you want?" she hissed.

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes but then plastered a smile on his face. "You look like you could use a ride."

Kagome eyed him suspiciously. What was he up to? She could either: A. walk home in the rain and risk getting a cold, or B. get in Inuyasha's car for a dry ride home and risk getting extremely angry at him. There was a perk for the latter though. She would have a good excuse to beat him senseless if he aggravated her. She considered this for a moment before relinquishing.

Kagome sighed and rolled her eyes as she crossed in front of the car and got into the passenger seat. Once she was in there she eyed Inuyasha.

"Okay, what gives Tanoshi?"

He looked at her innocently. "What ever do you mean, Kagome?"

"It's just, after science today, I'd think you would treat me like dirt. What are you up to?"

The car started moving and Inuyasha focused his attention on the road. "Even if you had helped me out, Mushibi would have failed me. Besides, can I not be nice to the new girl?"

"No."

Inuyasha glanced at her. Why wasn't she falling for him? Any other girl would have passed out for this kind of opportunity.

"You don't even know where you're going," she said suddenly while she watched the scene pass by through the window.

"What?"

She looked back at him. "You don't know where I live."

"Yes I do."

Kagome's eyes widened. "What?"

"You live at the shrine, where that old man lives."

"What are you stalking me now?!"

He smiled and chuckled a little. "No, my butler is buddies with that old man, and he's been bragging that his daughter and grandchildren were coming to live with him."

"So like Grandpa," Kagome whispered.

Soon they were at the shrine. Kagome began gathering her things and opened the door. "Hold on," Inuyasha said. He reached into the back seat and came back with an umbrella.

"Here."

"Um…thanks…" she eyed the umbrella suspiciously before taking it.

"Oh, and one more thing, Kagome."

Inuyasha reached in the back again and grabbed his backpack. Then he began digging in it before he found what he wanted. He pulled out an oddly shaped piece of paper and handed it to Kagome.

She took the paper in her hand and looked at it. It was shaped like a frog and colored in detail with the words "In Memory of Our Beloved Jacepi" painted in black. Kagome stared at the paper frog then looked back at Inuyasha who was giving her his signature grin.

"I'm sorry for being such a jerk about Jacepi. I should have been more sensitive to your feelings."

Kagome got out of the car, still staring at Inuyasha, and not caring that she was being rained on.

"Oooo…kay…um…" she began backing away from the car. "Thanks a lot for the ride, thanks for the umbrella, thanks for the…frog…, and thanks for the apology." This guy was crazy… "Well, I'm really tired." She faked a yawn. "Guess I better be going off to bed now." By now she was at the door of the shrine. "Thanks again," she opened the door and stepped inside, "and…uh…yea…" she slammed the door shut.

What was going on with him? It was way too much for Kagome.

Kagome began walking to the refrigerator when she remembered something. She ran to the door and locked it, finally satisfied. She tried to sit and do her homework but the whole Inuyasha thing had totally floored her. So finally she walked upstairs and went to bed.

Inuyasha drove home still trying to figure out why Kagome wasn't worshiping the ground he walked on. Everyone loved him. He was gorgeous, he was talented, he was rich! He was starting to think this whole bet thing was going to be harder than he thought. Maybe Miroku was right. Maybe he shouldn't have taken the bet.

Soon he pulled into a long drive way and stopped at a large gate with the initials "TM" embroidered on it. Inuyasha pushed a button on a box in front of the gate and a man's voice responded immediately.

"How may I help you?" the man asked.

"Toutousai, it's me."

"Oh, hello Inuyasha. Is school out already? I remember when I went to school." Toutousai chuckled lightly. "Oh, those were the days. I remember one time when my best friend…"

"Toutousai! Just let me in already!"

The man stopped talking and made an unappreciative noise. "Well, someone came home in a bad mood, didn't they?"

Inuyasha growled. "Let me in, it's raining!"

"Okay, fine." The man's voice disappeared and the gates began to slide open. Inuyasha drove up the long drive way to his mansion of a house. Once he arrived at the front of the house, a couple of men in black suits ran down the steps to Inuyasha's car, both holding umbrellas. One opened Inuyasha's car door while the other held his umbrella over Inuyasha's head.

"It is so nice to see you again, Mr. Inuyasha," the man holding the umbrella said.

"Yes, it's nice to see you…uh…um…"

"Naraku, sir."

"Yea, whatever." Inuyasha walked back to the house with the man following closely with the umbrella. The other man got inside Inuyasha's car and drove it to the garage.

Inside, an old man was waiting for Inuyasha. His foot was tapping against the marble floor and he leaned on an old staff.

"You were very rude Inuyasha," he said, eyeing the boy.

"I don't have to be polite to you."

"Your parents left me in charge of you. You know they don't want to hear that you've been misbehaving."

"I haven't been." Inuyasha walked to a large living room and threw himself down on the couch.

"Inuyasha, I received a call from one of your teachers."

Inuyasha blew the hair from his eyes. "I wonder from whom."

"It was your science teacher, Professor Mushibi."

"Surprise, surprise," he muttered.

"Professor Mushibi said that you have been tardy five times, and you have a detention tomorrow morning. And do you know what that means?"

Inuyasha sighed. "Here it comes."

"I want you to do your own laundry for two weeks. And don't try to sweet talk those poor maids into doing it for you."

"Oh, geez, how will I ever survive such a punishment?!" he faked a sob.

"And no dinner for you tonight either. Now, go to your room."

Inuyasha stood and glared down at the old man. "You better be glad you work for my parents," he warned. He turned away from Toutousai and headed up the stairs and to his gigantic, enormous bedroom. Once he was inside he closed and locked his doors then went out to his balcony. He sat on the railing and looked down at the city below. He could just see, far off in the distance, the tiny Higurashi shrine. How was he going to get her to fall in love with him?

Inuyasha watched the shrine for a long time, thinking of how he was going to win this insane bet. Finally, an idea hit him and he smiled to himself. Ms. Kagome Higurashi would be madly in love with him by the time he was through with her.

AN: ok, that's it for now. What is Inuyasha's little evil, diabolical plan? ¬¬ stay tuned to find out…

………soooooo tired………


	3. A Rose for Detention

Inuyasha arrived at school just five minutes before eight o'clock

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own Inuyasha….

AN: It's been…_forever_, I know! I was cleaning out some old stuff from my computer and found I had started a few pages on the next chapter of this fanfic and just had to finish it. I can't remember what I was originally going to have Inuyasha do, but I've come up with something else that's close to it, I think. Or if it's not, it'll work anyway. xD So sorry for the long wait and I really do appreciate all the feedback I've gotten on this story. Thanks so much you guys!

Chapter 3

A Rose for Detention

Inuyasha arrived at school just five minutes before eight o'clock. He ran into the school building and down many halls until he was in Mushibi's science classroom. The teacher was sitting at his desk, smiling.

"I thought you'd be late, like you always are."

"You said be here at eight, so I'm here." Inuyasha sat at his usual table in the back.

Mushibi stood up from his seat and grabbed a folder from a desk drawer. He opened the folder to the desired page and began copying a few equations on the board.

"I want you to solve these equations on your own paper." Then he grabbed a few sheets from the folder and walked to Inuyasha, tossing the papers onto his table. "And then I want you to complete these worksheets. You have one hour." Mushibi began walking back to his desk.

"Professor?" Inuyasha called.

Mushibi turned a suspicious eye on Inuyasha. He couldn't blame the guy; after all, he never called Mushibi 'Professor'.

"Yes?"

"My current guardian wanted me to ask if I could do some extra credit to help raise my grade, since I failed yesterday's project."

Mushibi smiled mischievously. "You don't have to worry about any extra credit for now, Mr. Tanoshi." At Inuyasha's questioning look he continued. "You did not fail yesterday's project." He walked back to his desk and sat down.

Inuyasha sat up straight in his seat, his brows furrowed. "But, yesterday you said I failed it."

"That was before Ms. Higurashi came to me after lunch and told me that you did half the work."

Inuyasha's eyes grew big. "She did?"

"Yes, Mr. Tanoshi." Mushibi was beginning to sound bored with the whole thing. "Maybe you should thank her next time you see her."

Then Mushibi absorbed himself in a science fiction book and said no more. Inuyasha stared at the worksheets lying before him but didn't see the problems waiting for him to solve. His thoughts wore focused on why Kagome would have helped him out.

Finally, after ten minutes of utter dumbness, Inuyasha focused on the problems on the bored. Mushibi thought they were too complicated for Inuyasha, but he knew perfectly well how to do them. Within another ten minutes he was done with those problems and moved on to the worksheets. Those were a little harder. But after thirty minutes of working on the three worksheets, Inuyasha was done and was very proud of his answers. He gathered all his papers and walked to Mushibi's desk, clearing his throat to get the teacher's attention.

"Yea?" Mushibi asked.

"I finished." Inuyasha placed the papers on Mushibi's desk.

Mushibi checked his watch then looked at the papers. "Ok, I'll let you go five minutes early, only if you promise you won't be late to my class today."

"Deal."

Inuyasha went back to his table and grabbed his things then rushed out of Mushibi's classroom. The bell for school to start was about to ring and soon the halls would be total chaos.

Once he reached his locker, he pounded on it three times and, as always, it sprung open in response. He grabbed a few books then closed it before noticing a hand on his arm. He turned around to see Kikyou. She was wearing her usual cheerleading uniform and had on the darkest red lipstick.

"Hello Inuyasha," she said with a seductive smile.

"Oh, hey." He shrugged off her hand and turned to walk away, but she followed.

"I was just wondering, Inuyasha, who you were planning on taking to the Fall Dance next Saturday."

"Uh…I haven't decided yet."

Kikyou stopped in front of her class and held onto Inuyasha's arm so he stopped too.

"Well, if you need a date, you know where to find me," she smiled again then disappeared into the classroom.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. He would go to the dance dateless before he took Kikyou.

He stopped when he saw Miroku at his locker. The boy must have just groped Sango again because he had a very red hand print on his face.

"What did you do this time?" Inuyasha asked.

Miroku turned around and smiled when he saw his friend. "Let me just say, it was worth it."

Inuyasha looked around to make sure no one was listening. "I need help with the bet," he whispered. Miroku's eyes grew big and he immediately began shaking his head.

"No, no, no, no, no, I know nothing about what you speak of."

"But, Miroku." Miroku covered his ears and shook his head.

"La la la la la la la la la, I can't hear you!"

Inuyasha ripped Miroku's hands from his ears. "Miroku! You are my best friend, won't you help me this time?!"

Miroku glared at him. "I told you I was not getting involved in this!" he sneered.

"I just need you to help me, just a little," Inuyasha pleaded. "No one will know you were involved."

Miroku threw his hands down to his sides and squinted his eyes at Inuyasha. "Fine. But if Sango finds anything out, I'll tell her that you forced me to do this. I'll say that you threatened physical harm. If I go down, I'm taking you with me, Tanoshi."

"I understand completely. I just need you to do one simple thing for me at the football game on Friday."

Miroku tilted his head suspiciously. "Is it illegal?"

"Not really," Inuyasha grinned. "Meet me by the soda machines at lunch and I'll explain everything." Inuyasha began to walk away from Miroku, making his way down the now crowded halls.

"I better not get killed because of you, Tanoshi!"

Kagome ran through the crowded hallways, sliding around corners and dropping a few books and papers along the way. She quickly glanced down at her watch. She had exactly one minute and twenty-three seconds to get to her science class.

Kagome mentally cursed her little brother Souta for deciding to break her alarm clock and not bother to wake her. She had already missed her first class, but was not about to miss another.

Fifty-four seconds to run up a flight of stairs and down a couple more hallways. Kagome quickened her speed, grasping the books in her arms so tightly it pained her. Her calves were screaming in agony and it seemed someone was now stabbing knives into her sides. Breathing began to hurt her throat and suddenly the weight of the books in her arms and backpack tripled. It seemed to Kagome Gravity was picking on her today.

She glanced at her watch again. Thirty-eight seconds left and she had just started to run up the stairs. That's when Kagome thought she would die. Suddenly her knees gave out from under her and she fell to the hard stairs, sliding back down to the bottom.

"Damn it!" Kagome yelled, babying her blood red knees before jumping back to her feet. She hobbled up the stairs, squinting in pain.

Twelve seconds.

She began running again, cursing her clumsiness.

Another hall and she'd be there.

Six seconds.

Her science classroom was so close. She could now see the door.

Four seconds.

Kagome tried to run faster, but the pain in her legs and sides wouldn't let her.

Two seconds.

Kagome reached for the door handle.

One second.

She began to open the door.

_RING_

She flung the door open to reveal a very unfamiliar classroom and students she had never seen before.

Kagome stood in the doorway, heaving and gasping for air while these strange faces gawked at the disheveled girl before them.

"Can I help you?" asked an uncertain older woman.

"I'm sorry," Kagome breathed. "Wrong room."

She quickly closed the door and ran down the hall to her _real _classroom. Opening the door slowly, Kagome breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Mushibi at the blackboard.

Kagome entered the room to find there were no seats left, except one beside Inuyasha whose head was on the table, peacefully resting. She readjusted the books in her arms, sighed miserably, and began her walk to Inuyasha's table. Why was God punishing her? she thought. Had she done something wrong? What did she do to deserve this kind of treatment? Finally she was at the table. She dropped her books onto the table with a loud thud and then let her backpack fall to the ground as she sat beside Inuyasha.

Inuyasha awoke with a start when the books hit the table and looked to see what the source of the noise was. He saw Kagome sitting next to him, looking extremely depressed and put out. He smiled.

"Hey, beautiful!" he whispered to her.

Kagome wrinkled her nose and stuck her tongue out at Inuyasha.

"You know, I'm just trying to be nice," Inuyasha said, putting his head back down onto the desk.

"Well I don't need you to be nice," Kagome spat. But Inuyasha had already slipped into a peaceful slumber on the table. Kagome tried to stuff down her anger so she could pay attention to Mushibi's lesson. She opened her notebook to her notes page and began writing down the equations that Mushibi wrote on the board and how to solve them. But instead of fully understanding what Mushibi said and wrote, Kagome's mind kept wondering to the boy that slept beside her.

"So in order to understand how to balance these equations, we are going to learn a new theory today," Mushibi said as he wrote the theory's name on the board.

Kagome turned her gaze from the board to Inuyasha. "Why doesn't he try in school?" Kagome thought. Here Inuyasha was sleeping during the middle of an important lesson. No wonder why he was failing almost every class! "Perhaps he doesn't understand this stuff, that's why he doesn't even pay attention." Kagome then felt sorry for him. Maybe Inuyasha had tried in school but gave up because he just didn't understand the material. Kagome couldn't think of any other reason why a person wouldn't _want _to pay attention in school. To her, school was everything! "Yes, that has to be it," she concluded.

"Ms. Higurashi!" Kagome jumped at the sound of her name. She looked to the front of the class to see Professor Mushibi looking at her sternly. Kagome's heart stopped. Did he see that she wasn't paying attention?

"If you would please wake your classmate..." he went on.

Kagome looked back to Inuyasha. She was supposed to wake him? She didn't know quite how to go about doing this. She nervously placed her hands on his shoulder and gently shook him.

"Inuyasha?" she whispered. "Inuyasha, wake up."

Inuyasha snored.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome shook him a little harder. "Come on, please wake up!"

Inuyasha's hand sprang up from the table surface and shooed Kagome away. Kagome peered at him through narrowed eyes. So he wanted it the hard way, huh? Kagome straightened herself in her seat and pursed her lips before trying to look completely innocent. Once she had contorted her face to look as guiltless as a doe, one of her legs swung out from underneath her and kicked the stool out from under Inuyasha's body. The action was quickly followed by a loud _THUD_.

Inuyasha met the hard floor painfully and immediately woke up, looking bewildered and shaken. Everyone in the class looked back at him, some even standing up from their seats to gain a better look (the girls, of course, gasping and looking worried beyond all reason). Kagome leaned over him from her stool and looked concerned.

"Oh Inuyasha!" she cried. "Oh you poor thing!" She kneeled onto the floor beside him and attempted to help him onto his feet. "Ever fall asleep in class again and falling out of your chair will be the _least _of your worries," she whispered in his ear. She smiled at Mushibi when he peered over the students to see what happened. "He must've slipped," she called to him.

Inuyasha looked horrified at the girl who looked down on him so innocently. "_You_…" he growled.

"You'll be okay! Up you go!" Kagome helped Inuyasha to his feet but he quickly pulled away from her, fixing his shirt and sitting back on the stool. He huffed and stared straight at the board where Mushibi continued on with the lesson. Some of the girls in the class continued to pass worried glances back his way and Inuyasha met them with smooth smiles.

Mushibi droned on for forever about some sciencey theory while Inuyasha pouted in his seat. He felt Kagome's cold and rigid temper next to him and was immediately reminded of the bet. He couldn't stay mad at her. At least _she _couldn't think he was. He leaned over her shoulder, his face uncomfortably close to her ear and whispered.

"It's alright, sweetie," he cooed. "I forgive you."

Kagome's immediate reaction was to flinch and move away before she gave Inuyasha a disgusted look.

"Forgive me for what?" she spat.

"That little incident with my chair." Inuyasha leaned further in to Kagome. "You were just trying to look out for me, so I forgive you."

"Um…great…glad to hear that. Now get on your side of the table."

Inuyasha pulled back so Kagome could get comfortable in her seat again. "Should we kiss and make up?" he asked with a knowing smirk. Kagome nearly gagged.

"Not on your life," she hissed.

Inuyasha laughed to himself. He had the feeling that with persistence, he could gradually wear down the force field protecting Kagome Higurashi.

The lunch bell rang before Mushibi had comfortably explained the theory he had planned for the day and the professor looked utterly abashed when his class nearly killed themselves getting out of the door. Kagome was among them, fighting to get as far away from Inuyasha as she could. She ran into Sango at the door who was just as eager to get away.

"Who are you running from?" Kagome asked her friend.

"Who do you think?! That letch, Miroku!"

"Oh, so _that's _the letch?"

"Yeah, pray you'll never become one of his victims."

"I'm too busy praying Inuyasha will leave me alone!"

The girls finally made it to their lockers through the normal lunch hour crowd in the hallway. Kagome opened hers (which was now lightly decorated with a picture of her family and another of her cat) and threw her books inside, getting rid of them as quickly as possible as if they were poisonous.

"Are you ready?" Sango asked. The girl held her lunch firmly in one hand and her books in another, ready to battle the crowd in order to get to the cafeteria.

"Sango, I'm never ready."

In the cafeteria, Kagome and Sango managed to find Ayumi and Eri who sat at the end of a partially filled up table. They joined their friends and began enthusiastically eating their lunch. Kagome scoped the cafeteria for a familiar face and soon found it sitting at a table with many other jocks across the room.

"Has she fallen in love with you yet?" Muso asked, taking a large bite of his lunch.

"Has who fallen in love with what now?" Inuyasha feigned ignorance. He had to keep his cool with this bet and act like it was no chore at all.

"You know damn well what I'm talking about. How's your plan going?"

Inuyasha happily took a bite of his sandwich, making Muso wait for a response. "Who said I had a plan?"

"You have to have a plan, Inuyasha," Jakotsu piped in. "Come on, tell us."

"I don't know what you're talking about, boys," he said plainly. "But, I have a little matter to attend to, so if you'll excuse me?" Inuyasha stood from the table, grabbing his leftover sandwich and throwing it into the trash before tossing his backpack over his shoulder. His teammates watched closely as Inuyasha passed by the cafeteria tables nonchalantly, every once in awhile giving a grin to a girl, until he reached one in particular.

"Excuse me," he said politely.

Kagome, Sango, Eri, and Ayumi all looked up. All girls almost dropped what they were holding when they saw who was speaking. Eri involuntarily squealed and Ayumi started to choke on her food. Sango gave her a swift smack on the back to solve the problem.

"What do _you _want?" Kagome asked suspiciously.

"Oh nothing much. It's just that yesterday you left something in my car…" Ayumi gasped while Eri screeched, "HIS CAR?!" in a whisper, "…and I didn't have to opportunity to return it to you today in class."

Kagome racked her brain but couldn't think of anything she could have possibly left behind. "I don't know what I could have-"

Before she could finish, Inuyasha had opened his backpack and whipped out a single red rose. "I do believe you forgot this." He smiled charmingly as he offered her the rose.

Kagome was taken aback by the rose and quickly looked across the table at Sango for help, but her friend was just staring dumbly at the rose. "A lot of help _you _are," she thought.

Without another word, Inuyasha grabbed Kagome's hand (to which she immediately turned red) and placed the rose in her grip, forcing her to accept it. He then turned and made his way out of the cafeteria, glancing back only once to flash his teeth at her. Kagome looked from the perfect red rose to the rest of the cafeteria. _Everyone _was watching her. Well, all the _girls _that is. The boys had paid attention for a brief moment and then went about their business, but all the girls were still glancing over at Kagome, some with jealousy in their eyes and some with looks of "Oh, he's _so_ romantic". Kagome turned in her seat to look at Sango and made a gesture that clearly asked for an explanation. Sango simply shook her head.

"I don't know. Looks like someone may have a crush."

Kagome's heart nearly fell out of her chest. "Oh _crap!_" she moaned.

Not a few seconds later did a second figure appear at their table, forcing Kagome to pull her eyes away from the flower that seemed to have some secret, hidden meaning to see who it was. A girl in a cheerleader uniform jeered down at her. Kagome couldn't help but think she'd be a very beautiful girl if only she'd stay away from the massive amount of makeup and dark red lipstick.

"What do you want, Kikyou?" Sango asked.

"This doesn't concern _you_," she snapped. Kikyou's eyes pierced Sango's with hatred. She turned her gaze to Kagome and she instantly felt frightened under her eyes. "Stay away from my man, bitch."

Kagome's mouth dropped. "What?!"

"You _heard _me. Stay away from Inuyasha or you will permanently regret it." Kikyou leaned closer over the table. "You do _not _want to mess with me, little girl. You understand me?"

Kagome couldn't believe her ears! "You don't understand, I don't want Inuyasha!"

Kikyou cut her off by pointing a manicured index finger at her. "Stay away from him. Got it?"

"Ok, fine, whatever. You can _have _him!"

Kikyou scoffed at Kagome and then straightened, folding her arms. "Wise choice." With that, Kikyou disappeared from the cafeteria. Kagome stared at Sango again while Eri and Ayumi stuffed their mouths with their food, their eyes huge as they soaked in everything like they were watching a soap opera.

"I have _got _to do something about this."

"I'd say the first step is to give back that rose." Sango's gaze went to the rose and she raised her brows. "Accepting it would just give him the wrong impression."

Kagome looked down at the rose in her hands and knew Sango was right. However, she knew the possibility of seeing Inuyasha at all during the rest of the day was zero to none. They had only one glass together and finding him in the hallway was the equivalent to finding a needle in a haystack. She sighed.

"Does anyone know where he lives?"


	4. TM Mansion

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Inuyasha and never will. (

AN: I really should be studying for my final Monday, but I felt compelled to update. Like the last chapter of To See What's Before You, this was written in just a day (actually, in just about three hours). Sorry it's kind of short, but I hope the action makes up for it! 83 Anyway, I really like this chapter, I think. And you'll soon see why. xD Oh Inuyasha, you _tease! _Lol, anyway, thanks for all the reviews thus far and all the positive feedback! It means a lot 3.

ENJOY!

* * *

Chapter 4

TM Mansion

Kagome stood in front of an overwhelmingly massive gate with "TM" embroidered on its bars and sighed. She looked down at the tiny piece of paper Ayumi had wrote Inuyasha's address on and checked to see if she was at the right place.

"Of _course_," she muttered under her breath. For a moment, she second guessed herself and thought about cutting her loses and going home, but then she remembered Sango's words about the rose…

"_I'd say the first step is to give back that rose. Accepting it would just give him the wrong impression."_

She sighed again. Damnit, her friend was right! If you want a boy to understand you have no feelings for him, never accept romantic gifts from him.

"_You can do this Kagome," _she thought. _"You can do this. Just suck it up and get it over with."_

With that, Kagome threw out a finger and punched the call button on the intercom at the gate. It crackled and resonated a high-pitched noise that hurt her ears terribly before a voice came through.

"Tanoshi residence," stated the voice. Kagome could only guess it belonged to an older gentleman.

"Um, yes, sorry to bother you, but, um, I need to talk with Inuyasha?" She mentally slapped herself for sounding so unsure and lame.

"Master Inuyasha, you say? I'm sorry, but he's taking a nap at the moment." Kagome groaned. "However, he_ does _need to be woken up soon…" the voice seemed to be thinking hard about something and then laughed. "Yes, yes, he needs to wake up now. Come on in, young lady. Oh, and may I ask your name?"

"Higurashi, Kagome."

"Higurashi, you say? Do come in, come in!" The gate promptly swung open and Kagome stepped through while the intercom voice went on about old times that she really didn't care about now. She walked up a long drive, clutching the piece of paper nervously as she ascended the steps to the front door. She grabbed the door knocker and swung it gently, letting it fall back onto the door. Kagome was startled how loud the thing was. The door soon opened and an older gentleman stood before her.

"Miss Higurashi, I presume?" he said with a smile. "My name is Toutousai. I'm good friends with your grandfather."

Kagome immediately remembered the other day when Inuyasha drove her home and his mentioning of something to that effect. "Oh, right. Nice you meet you," she said politely.

"Come on in, miss." Toutousai closed the door after Kagome once she crossed the threshold, but she couldn't bring her feet to move past the entry. She was absolutely stunned by what she saw.

The Tanoshi mansion was a sight to be seen. High ceilings, spiraling staircases, elegant paintings, and columns strategically placed to show off the stateliness of the rooms. Toutousai ushered Kagome into the drawing room where a massive, marble fireplace stood, waiting for a fire to burn in its pit. And above the fireplace was an equally massive painting of four people she did not recognize.

"Would you like some tea, dear?"

Kagome barely understood what the old man asked her, but she nodded simply and he was off to the kitchens. Left alone in such a grand room made Kagome feel self-conscious about her current state. She was still wearing her school uniform and her backpack, and the long walk to the Tanoshi manner in the heat of the day left her cheeks flushed and her hair a tangled 

mess. Her hand unconsciously went to her head and tried to smooth down her hair as she moved closer to the fireplace and studied the painting above its mantle. There was something familiar about the faces.

In the painting stood a powerful looking man in a black suit with a stern and unforgiving face, while a slender, stunningly beautiful woman sat elegantly in an armchair, holding a small, happy child in her lap. Beside her chair stood a much older boy, who rested a hand diligently on his mother's shoulder, as if he were told to do so. But his eyes, Kagome noticed, were shifted in a different direction than the painting's other three inhabitants. To Kagome, the elder boy looked disenchanted with the whole affair and she felt sorry for him. She then moved her eyes back to the small child on the woman's lap. He had jet black hair, big, golden eyes, and looked like the male equivalent of his mother. Kagome immediately recognized the tiny face. She would have recognized him sooner if not for the joyous smile on the child's face.

"Inuyasha?" she muttered.

"Why yes, it is."

Kagome nearly jumped out of her skin at the voice. She turned around, her eyes huge and her heart racing a mile a minute. She relaxed when she saw Toutousai with a tray of tea.

Toutousai set the tray down on a table and came to Kagome's side, looking up at the painting with a smile.

"He was only three when this was done. Ever try to get a three year old to sit quietly for a painting?" He clicked his tongue. "Would have been impossible if his mother didn't have such control over him."

"And who's that?" Kagome pointed to the older boy who looked so lost in this family.

"Ah, Master Sesshomaru. That is Inuyasha's older brother."

"Does he live here?"

"No, no, Sesshomaru left for college a few years ago. He has only one semester left."

"Why does he look so out of sorts?"

Toutousai's face contorted a bit as he thought of the best way to explain the complications that is the Tanoshi family. "Well, dearie, Sesshomaru and Inuyasha are half-brothers. Different mothers, you see. Their father has never been an attentive man and when he married his second wife and had Inuyasha, there was barely any room for Sesshomaru. Inuyasha's mother only had eyes for her son and their father only had eyes for his career. That's how it is even today. The brothers have a tumultuous relationship at best. It's better that they have their space from one another."

Kagome immediately felt a pang of guilt for Sesshomaru. She didn't even know the fellow, but she felt sorry him. "I guess that's why he doesn't look like he belongs."

"Yes, yes. Smart boy. Going to make a wonderful businessman when he graduates. Just wish his home life was a little more loving. But enough of this!" Toutousai left Kagome's side and filled a cup with tea for her. "Sit, sit, have a cup and I'll send someone to wake Inuyasha for you."

Kagome had sat on an elegant (yet very uncomfortable) couch and accepted the tea from Toutousai before he mentioned Inuyasha, and the thought of why she was here came flooding back to her memory, making her extremely nervous again.

"Naraku!" Toutousai called another servant and a man promptly came to his side. "Go up to Inuyasha's room and wake him, please. He has a guest."

"Yes sir."

Kagome watched as the servant Naraku ascended a grand staircase and disappeared onto the second floor. She nervously sipped her tea as Toutousai stood nearby, ready to fill her cup again at any moment.

"Is your grandfather well? It's been a few weeks since we last talked."

"He's great. Still excited about us moving in."

"I bet! Such a good man." Toutousai drifted off in his own thoughts and left Kagome to squirm on the couch, trying to get in a somewhat comfortable position, but the blasted cushions wouldn't allow it.

"_What the hell am I doing?!" _she panicked. _"I shouldn't be here. This is ridiculous. The last thing I want is for him to think I came here to _see _him!" _

Kagome quickly swallowed the rest of her tea and shot up from the couch.

"I'm sorry, sir, but it's getting late. I should be heading home." She made to get out of the drawing room. "I'm so sorry to waste your time. Thanks for the tea and-"

Kagome stopped at the doorway of the drawing room when she heard a grumbling noise come from the top of the stairs. She turned and looked to see a young man with tousled black hair wearing his school uniform (his tie now skewed and his shirt untucked and wrinkled from sleep) and rubbing his golden eyes. Her tummy lurched. If she hadn't known who this boy was, she would have found the sight coming down the stairs attractive. Kagome averted her eyes immediately.

"Toutousai, you twit," Inuyasha grumbled as he made his way down. "Where the hell do you get off sending dimwit over there to wake me up?"

"It's Naraku…sir…" the servant corrected from the railing on the second floor.

"What_ever_. I don't care who you are." By now, Inuyasha reached the middle of the stairs (they were massive, really) and had his sleepy eyes set dead on Toutousai. Kagome, meanwhile, tried to slink safely out of Inuyasha's view into the drawing room doorway. "What's all this crap about a visitor? It better not be my dad's stupid lawyer again…" Inuyasha stopped short when he noticed a figure try desperately to disappear from his view and immediately recognized it.

"_What the _hell _is this?!" _he thought.

"A Higurashi, Kagome is here to see you," replied Toutousai. Kagome cut her eyes at the old man and could have murdered him then and there, but Inuyasha's cocky voice interrupted her plotting.

"Kagome, eh?" he sauntered down the rest of the stairs, smiling haughtily at the girl who now backed out of the doorway and came into the room again. "I have to say, I wasn't expecting this pleasure. Toutousai? Some privacy?" The old man nodded and disappeared into the kitchens.

"It's not a pleasure," said Kagome hotly. "I just came by to give back something you never should have given me."

"And what's that?" Inuyasha was now only a few feet away from Kagome, and the sight of him just woken from sleep with disheveled hair and clothes made her stomach do flip flops. Kagome tried to calm her stomach and with 

a determination, slipped her backpack from her should and began digging in it.

"Got me a present?"

"_No. _Geez you've got an ego…" She found what she was searching for and pulled out the single red rose, holding it at arm's length like it was poisonous. "I can't accept this." She held it out for Inuyasha to take, but when he didn't, Kagome set the rose on a nearby table.

"I got it for you, though." Inuyasha tried to look hurt.

"I don't care." Kagome mustered all the bravery she had in her heart in order to make it clear how she felt. She wanted no holes where Inuyasha could mistakenly think she had _any _feelings for him. "You can't give me gifts. There will never be anything between us, okay? _Never_. So, just please, no more roses in front of everyone in the cafeteria. And no more trying to make Kikyou jealous."

At Kikyou's name, Inuyasha stiffened. He stood up straight and folded his arms. "Kikyou?"

"Yeah, look, I don't want her to think there's something between us. Because there isn't, and plus that girl is a bit crazy."

"Got that right," Inuyasha muttered.

"So stop. No more rides home, no more umbrellas, no more Jacepi-shaped cards, no more roses, no more anything. You're starting to make me think all this is some sort of lie."

Inuyasha unfolded his arms and moved closer to Kagome so her back was pressed against the frame of the doorway, and one of his arms rested against the wall. He leaned in close to her face so Kagome could smell his leftover cologne from the day. Her heart nearly stopped altogether and her hands trembled when the most popular guy in school's lips came literally an inch away from hers and the feathery bangs of his hair brushed across the apple her cheek. Kagome closed her eyes, fretfully waiting for his lips to touch hers.

"Do you think I'm lying now?" he whispered. Kagome's knees started to get weak. She felt so uncomfortable and wanted nothing more than to be out of this guy's house.

"I…I don't know…" her voice was small and cracked.

Inuyasha slowly pulled away from Kagome, his body still only inches away from hers. But Kagome took the opportunity and grabbed up her bag and bolted from the room. She ran out of the drawing room, through the entry and out the front door, never turning back until she got to the gates which she closed behind herself when she was safely out of Tanoshi territory. Without wasting another moment, Kagome ran for home.

Inuyasha stayed put, smiling to himself as he heard the unnerved girl's panicked footsteps leave his family's house. With one swift movement, he undid his tie so it only hung around his neck and straightened his shirt.

"Worked like a charm."

* * *

Kagome's run home was exhausting and tedious work but the fear Inuyasha struck in her heart was plenty motivation to get home as quickly as possible. What the hell had he been thinking? Was he really about to kiss her or was he just messing with her? Each of these questions rattled around in her brain and when she thought about the answers, her pace quickened and her drive to get far, far away from that boy increased dramatically.

The Tanoshi home was a fair piece away from the Higurashi shrine, and Kagome finally had to stop and rest at a public park that stood as the halfway mark between the two locations. She stopped running right in front of a fountain and scooped up some cool water in her cupped hands, splashing her warm face. If her cheeks weren't red before she went inside the Tanoshi home, they certainly were now. She caught her reflection in the rippling of the fountain and groaned.

"Oh great! If he couldn't see how nervous he made me, then he's dumber than he looks."

Kagome plopped down on the edge of the fountain and let her head fall into her hands. What a horrible turn of events! She only wanted to let him know there was nothing between them and he somehow turned that into a nerve wrecking experience for her!

Kagome sat on the fountain edge for a few more minutes, letting her heart rate come down and the breeze of the day cool her face before she got up and began walking the rest of the way to her house. Though on the surface, she felt fine now, deep down there was something stirring inside Kagome, something Inuyasha had triggered, and she didn't like it one bit.


End file.
